Yeah, my first comment is on the StarPool section of the rules -- it's a little jarring as written right now.  I was OK with it, but for siomeone new it could be too confusing with initiative and all that left in.

Also, why the name Tools of Ignorance?

Quote from: David Johansen;427433Wow, that was quick, I was just going to add the link.

http://www.guildcompanion.com/scrolls/2010/mar/thebeautifulgames.html

They actually published it before I was quite ready, I sent it to them for some fact checking and feedback and it got published as is.  So I never even built the maps to show the zones for the various sports.  They're all a 5 x 3 hex grid superimposed over a playing field diagram.

Hey! That was excellent! I've integrated sports into various of my games before and I wish I had something like this!

-clash

Quote from: gonster;427441Yeah, my first comment is on the StarPool section of the rules -- it's a little jarring as written right now.  I was OK with it, but for siomeone new it could be too confusing with initiative and all that left in.

Yeah - I almost took initiative out, but I thought about brawls and other times initiative would be handy. Still going back and forth about it!

QuoteAlso, why the name Tools of Ignorance?

The Tools of Ignorance

I have always found it wonderfully ironic that the tools of ignorance are worn by what is usually the smartest player on the field.

Quote from: flyingmice;427442Hey! That was excellent! I've integrated sports into various of my games before and I wish I had something like this!

-clash

Thanks, it was part of my abortive attempt to do a series of articles detailing non-combat activities.  I did court cases and sports and I was going to do investigation and infiltration and maybe social combat along the lines of Dance of Daggers.  Unfortunately about that time my frustration level with ICE's management reached the point where I was no longer willing to support their games in any capacity whatever.

Quote from: David Johansen;427451Thanks, it was part of my abortive attempt to do a series of articles detailing non-combat activities.  I did court cases and sports and I was going to do investigation and infiltration and maybe social combat along the lines of Dance of Daggers.  Unfortunately about that time my frustration level with ICE's management reached the point where I was no longer willing to support their games in any capacity whatever.

Sounds like it would have been a great series, David! I do a *lot* of non-combat conflict in my games, too. I've run court cases, police procedurals, sports, card games, and more. Since my combats seldom last for more than a couple of rounds, I have to do something to keep the players entertained!

-clash

There's a lot in my design cue that is ICE refugee material.  

Incandescent is basically the Silent Death rpg / surface tactical game I've been pitching at ICE for years.  Galaxies in Shadow is my attempt to write a game to replace SpaceMaster for my own use and so on.

But Incandescent doesn't do much beyond combat, it's Galaxies in Shadow that has scientific discovery rules and infiltration and investigation rules, and courtroom trial rules, and social combat and relationship tracking.

Mind you most of that stuff will be in Confabulation too but, oddly enough I'm not sure any of them will have sports rules.  Partly because it wouldn't be too hard to actually play out sports in Confabulation or Galaxies in Shadow.

Dances with daggers might get sports rules eventually but mainly in terms of what kinds of men you can get involved with.

Quote from: gonster;427441Yeah, my first comment is on the StarPool section of the rules -- it's a little jarring as written right now.  I was OK with it, but for siomeone new it could be too confusing with initiative and all that left in.

I talked to my players, and they agree it's probably not needed, and if it is, let the GM handle it. Also, they thought there will be no use for Complex Problems and Solutions.

Initiative and Complex Problems are both out! The game just got lighter.

I also took out the StarPool picture and replaced it with a fielding illo I painted last night.

-clash

Quote from: David Johansen;427456Mind you most of that stuff will be in Confabulation too but, oddly enough I'm not sure any of them will have sports rules.  Partly because it wouldn't be too hard to actually play out sports in Confabulation or Galaxies in Shadow.

I could see that! There's enouh there to put something pretty complete together.


-clash

Exactly

You already know how far you can move in a round and in what order.  There's rules for seeing if a throw goes where you want it to.  Catching is a reaction much like a parry.  So really all you need to add is a summary of the rules and a map.

You could do this with GURPS as writen though I'm thinking the 1200 turn periods in a hockey game would take a fair bit of playing out.  

Quote from: David Johansen;427467Exactly

You already know how far you can move in a round and in what order.  There's rules for seeing if a throw goes where you want it to.  Catching is a reaction much like a parry.  So really all you need to add is a summary of the rules and a map.

You could do this with GURPS as writen though I'm thinking the 1200 turn periods in a hockey game would take a fair bit of playing out.  

Yep! You have pieces you can put together to make most of the game without a lot of work.

GURPS' ultrashort rounds never did anything for me. I prefer longer turns.

-clash

GURPS works well but you have to keep the pace up and not let the modifiers bog you down.  You also have to add some discretionary lulls into combats like, "okay after ten minutes they still haven't poked their heads up, what now?"  I've run combats with ten players and twenty opponents in less than half an hour.  Where GURPS really starts breaking down is when the GM starts stating out intelligently designed enemies and playing tactically instead of playing dumb.

Quote from: David Johansen;427472GURPS works well but you have to keep the pace up and not let the modifiers bog you down.  You also have to add some discretionary lulls into combats like, "okay after ten minutes they still haven't poked their heads up, what now?"  I've run combats with ten players and twenty opponents in less than half an hour.  Where GURPS really starts breaking down is when the GM starts stating out intelligently designed enemies and playing tactically instead of playing dumb.

I've described running games for my group before as juggling chainsaws while riding a unicycle on a tightrope over a flaming volcano. I need all the advantages I can get!

-clash

Question:

Should I include a sample team, or have that available for free DL? I like tha size of the game as it is.

-clash

Not only should you include a sample team you should base them all on the D&D demons and devils so they're nasty and villanous and an in joke.

Quote from: David Johansen;427524Not only should you include a sample team you should base them all on the D&D demons and devils so they're nasty and villanous and an in joke.

I could if I remembered them! I gave away all my D&D stuff years ago. Two shelves full of books and a couple decades worth of Dragon!


-clash